Alternative energy reality!

[Fieldmouse]

Solar power = $24.34/megawatt hour
Wind = $23.34/megawatt hour
Clean Coal = $29.81/megawatt hour
Normal Coal = $.44/megawatt hour
Natural Gas = $.44/megawatt hour
Hydroelectric= $.67/megawatt hour
Nuclear = $1.59/megawatt hour
Gas = $.25/megawatt hour

That is what everyone is paying today to subsidize these industries according to the EIA. For you who jump on this band wagon and say that is our future, don't complain about what you pay at the pump unless you just don't care what is taen from your pay check each week.

[DougMD]

Would that be megawatt power, or hour?

FM, I'm blaming you for my carpal (sp) tunnel. You must have been gone a few days, because I've had to respond to things you normally would have preempted me on.

[Fieldmouse]

You are correct. I've been out of the country and have been sitting on this all week. I'm still in route and will correct it when I land this evening.

[DougMD]

Well hurry up. If I keep typing, I won't be able to grab,holdand tilt Coors Lights this evening!

[bitterroot21]

Maybe I am slow today but this is not sinking in so???

Are these amounts the amount of the Gov't Subsidy given to specific industries per Megawatt Hour of electrical usage by americans (us) as a whole?

Are the Gov't Subsidies to be used only to progress the developement of that industries electricity producing technology?

Are there time limits attached to these Gov't Subsidies or, are they reassessed according to any type of schedule?

Sorry for all the ?s I got a case of the dumb today.

[F3d]

Maybe I am slow today but this is not sinking in so???

Are these amounts the amount of the Gov't Subsidy given to specific industries per Megawatt Hour of electrical usage by americans (us) as a whole?

It's using the total net generation of power for FY 2007, and the subsidy to find how many $/megawatthours the subsidy supports.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/servicer.../pdf/chap5.pdf

You can see the numbers here. It also list the subsidies not allocated for electricity.

(in millions)
Expensing of Exploration and Development Costs 860 Nat. Gas and Oil
Excess of Percentage over Cost Depletion 790 Nat. Gas and Oil
Amortize All Geological and Geophysical Expenditures over 2 Years 60 Nat. Gas and Oil
Exception from Passive Loss Limitation for Working Interests in Oil and Natural Gas
Properties 30 Nat. Gas and Oil
U.S. Geological Survey Energy Research and Development 20 Nat. Gas and Oil
Oil (R&D) 4 Nat. Gas and Oil

That's some big subsidies for oil. What are they exploring?

It's a no-brainer that nuclear plants should be favored. Jimmy Carter didn't like nukes so we should take the opposite approach.

[bitterroot21]

Thanks, that's kinda how I was seeing it.

This is something that stuck out to me when I was on the EIA website. It seems to me subsidies in general are out of control. Has our country become so unfriendly for business that in order to maintain the benefits these businesses offer we have to subsidize them so they don't leave us in the stone-ages?

Summary of Findings

Total Federal energy-specific subsidies and support to all forms of energy are estimated

at $16.6 billion for fiscal year (FY) 2007 (Table ES1).

Total energy subsidies have more than

doubled in real terms (2007 dollars), increasing from an estimated $8.2 billion in FY 1999. Tax

expenditures have more than tripled since 1999, rising from $3.2 billion that year to more than

$10.4 billion in 2007.

[petasux]

Youve taken one table out of an entire report and posted it as fact.Much of the money being put into these industries is for research and development since many of these energy sources are still really in thier infancy.Imagine if they were just now developing gas the cost that would be involved, but its already a standardized form of energy.

According to another chart in your report theres also many more projects going on in these other fields than there are for gas or nuclear.More projects means there will be more money going to them then to other projects such as gas and nuclear.

As gas is nearing 4$ a gallon I can honestly say I dont care if they spend the majority of my taxes on developing something else, gas isnt going anywhere but up and the limited amount we could produce here would be nothing but a band aid anyway.

[Fieldmouse]

Much of the money being put into these industries is for research and development since many of these energy sources are still really in thier infancy.

Sorry peta but I'm only addressing this point due to still being in route on this long trip. Solar and wind is anything but new. Wind has been researched and researched for centuries and the generators hooked to them have been reseached for over a century. Solar is anything but new. We have been playing around with it for a half of a century. The one common thing I don't here from the alternative crowd is more drilling. With over 85% of our coast line off limits and vast known reserves located in places most will never ever see off limits, quit calling for alternatives and then complain about $4.00 a gallon. Either praise the conservation because of high prices or lobby for drilling.

[F3d]

As gas is nearing 4$ a gallon I can honestly say I dont care if they spend the majority of my taxes on developing something else, gas isnt going anywhere but up and the limited amount we could produce here would be nothing but a band aid anyway.

Why subsidize ethanol? It cost even more.

Much of the money being put into these industries is for research and development since many of these energy sources are still really in thier infancy.

Why subsidize many different energy forms? We want the one that gets the best EROEI. Clean coal sucks. Why not nuclear? Clean coal technology would make the EROEI go down a lot. Solar and wind aren't solutions. That's obvious.

http://www.carbonenergy.com.au/uploa...%20Aug2006.pdf

I can bet ya that the clean coal technology will also probably be slapped onto IGCC plants and we won't even use underground coal gasification. Nuclear beats them all. Just have to get through the bs about weapons proliferation and safety concerns.